Cloud Computing for Libraries (11)

by Marshall Breeding

Gain an understanding of how cloud computing can make library
technology more manageable and cost-effective. Cloud computing is used
broadly to describe nearly any type of virtualized computing
environment where a library relies on a remote hosting environment for
a major automation component. It's as much a marketing term as
technical one. Marshall Breeding will help you distinguish hype from
substance, as you consider the options for moving essential services to
the cloud. It's not all or nothing. You can use cloud services
selectively, while you locally manage other computing operatons.

Marshall Breeding is director for innovative
technologies and research for the Vanderbilt University Libraries. A
speaker, writer and consultant, he reports on library technology and
vendors for ALA TechSource's Smart Libraries Newsletter, Library
Journal, and Computers in Libraries. Follow Marshall on
Twitter: @mbreeding.

Marshall Breeding's website Library Technology Guides is
an excellent resource for industry news. Use the search term "cloud" and view press releases for vendors' latest offerings. And watch out for the hype!

Marshall wrote in the January 2012 Smart Libraries column
"What's in Store for 2012":

Cloud computing will see continued growth, with
a high proportion of new library automation projects
deployed through software as a service rather than on servers
housed in the library. In addition to libraries that implement
the new-generation products intrinsically designed
for implementation as cloud-based services, many libraries
running traditional products will contract for hosting services
from the vendor. The library automation economy will
continue to evolve away being from one driven by up-front
license fees and will become one based more on annual subscriptions.